Fireplaces

Buying guide

A fireplace is more than the fire. It is the surround that frames it, the insert or opening that holds it, the hearth beneath and the chimney behind, and each part has to suit the fuel you will burn. Get the fuel and the measurements right first, and choosing the style becomes the enjoyable part.

The parts of a fireplace

Fireplace names can be confusing, so here is what each part is.

• Surround (or mantel). The frame around the fire, with the mantel shelf on top. It can be timber, cast iron, stone or marble. Our Carron wooden surrounds are solid oak or pine; our cast iron surrounds are by Carron.
• Insert. A cast iron fire chamber and decorative front that sits inside a surround, holding the fire. Carron's inserts are 1020mm square.
• Combination fireplace. Surround and insert cast in one piece, which fixes straight to the chimney breast with no separate surround.
• Back panel. A slab of granite, marble or stone behind the fire within the surround, common with gas and electric fires.
• Hearth. The non-combustible slab on the floor in front of and under the fire, which catches embers and keeps heat off the floor.
• Fireplace opening (builder's opening). The recess in the chimney breast that the fire sits in, leading to the flue above.

Choose by the fire you will burn

The fuel affects the materials too. Open fires and stoves throw a lot of heat, so anything close to them must be non-combustible or kept the right distance away. Electric fires produce gentle heat and no embers, which opens up timber and MDF suites. If you are unsure what your chimney can take, read chimney or no chimney?

Types of fireplace

Period character

Cast iron combination fireplaces

Surround and insert in one casting, from the 710mm Carron Crocus to the 1260mm Verona. Fixes straight to the chimney breast.

Shop cast iron fireplaces

Classic living room

Surrounds with an insert

A cast iron, oak or pine surround framing a cast iron insert, gas fire or stove. The formal, full size fireplace.

Shop surrounds

Warm timber

Wooden fire surrounds

Solid oak or pine Carron surrounds, unwaxed or waxed to order in four Fiddes shades, with a 910mm opening on most.

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No chimney needed

Electric fireplace suites

Surround and electric fire in one set that stands flat against the wall or hangs on it and plugs in.

Shop electric suites

Measuring for a new fireplace

Measure twice before you fall for a design. Fireplaces are heavy, made to set sizes and awkward to send back.

• Chimney breast width. The surround or combination fireplace should fit with a margin either side. A 1400mm surround on a 1500mm breast looks cramped.
• Height. Check the overall height against window sills, picture rails, sockets and any TV above.
• Builder's opening. Measure the width, height and depth of the opening behind any existing fireplace. Inserts and gas fires need enough depth.
• Surround opening. Most of our wooden surrounds have a 910mm x 910mm opening, sized to frame a 1020mm square cast iron insert, a back panel or a stove.
• Hearth area. Measure the floor in front of the opening. The hearth size depends on the fuel; see below.
• Weight and access. Cast iron fireplaces weigh 39kg to over 90kg, and cast iron surrounds up to 110kg. Plan how it will get into the room.

For the cast iron range, our guide to inserts versus combination fireplaces has a full size comparison.

Fireplace styles

Victorian (1837 to 1901). Arched cast iron inserts, tiled side panels and decorative castings, often in a black or polished finish. Combination fireplaces were common in bedrooms. See Victorian fireplaces.

Edwardian and Art Nouveau (about 1890 to 1910). Flowing plant and flower motifs, tall narrow proportions and tiled panels. Carron's Tulip, Crocus, Bella, Valentine and Verona are in this style. See Art Nouveau fireplaces.

Georgian (1714 to the 1830s). Plainer, more formal lines and classical proportions. Carron's Royal insert and the Alice and Somerset cast iron surrounds are Georgian in style. See Georgian fireplaces.

Timeless timber. Solid oak and pine surrounds suit cottages, farmhouses and modern rooms alike, and frame a stove or insert well.

Contemporary. Flat-to-wall electric suites and plain surrounds with a black granite back panel and hearth give a clean, modern focal point.

Whatever the style, scale matters most. A fireplace should suit the size of the wall and the height of the ceiling: a small combination fireplace looks lost on a wide chimney breast in a tall room, and a large surround overwhelms a cottage parlour. Measure, then sketch it to scale on the wall with tape before you choose.

Hearths and back panels

Open fires, stoves and many gas fires need a hearth, and its size and thickness depend on the fuel.

• Open fire. Approved Document J asks for a constructional hearth of solid non-combustible material at least 125mm thick, projecting 500mm in front of the fireplace recess and 150mm beyond each side.
• Stove. A non-combustible plate at least 12mm thick can be enough if the maker confirms the stove cannot heat the floor beneath it above 100°C; otherwise a constructional hearth. The manual gives the size.
• Gas fire. Where one is needed, a non-combustible top layer at least 12mm thick with its edge marked, sized to the manual.
• Electric fire. No hearth is required, though many suites include one for the look.

Carron's Absolute Black granite hearths run from 920mm x 380mm to 1520mm x 460mm. The one piece hearths suit gas, with the smaller sizes also suiting solid fuel, and the four piece hearths are for solid fuel only. Carron's three piece black granite back panel is 970mm x 970mm and suits solid fuel or gas fires. Browse all hearths.

Planning a fireplace, step by step

1. Decide what you will burn. Open fire, stove, gas or electric. This decides everything else, from the hearth to the surround material.
2. Check the chimney. Have it swept and inspected, and ask your installer whether it can take the fire you want, with or without a liner.
3. Measure. Chimney breast, opening, height and floor space for the hearth.
4. Choose the fireplace. A combination fireplace, or a surround with an insert, back panel or stove inside it.
5. Choose the hearth. Sized and built for the fuel, in granite, stone or glass.
6. Book the installer. HETAS for solid fuel, Gas Safe for gas. Ask them to confirm the parts before you order if you are unsure.
7. Finish the room. Decorate around the finished fireplace, and fit the carbon monoxide alarm if you are burning solid fuel or gas.

Bringing an old fireplace back into use

Many houses have a chimney that has not been used for years, sometimes blocked off behind a board. Before lighting anything, have it swept and inspected: nests, fallen debris and soot build up, and old flues can be cracked or leak into other rooms. A sweep or installer can carry out a smoke test to check it draws and is sound. Check the chimney pot and any cowl, and whether a previous owner capped the top. If the flue is in poor condition, a liner is often the fix for a stove or gas fire. Read chimney draught problems if an old chimney does not draw well.

Our picks

For a Victorian room, the Carron Tweed, a 1010mm combination fireplace in black or full polish. For a formal living room, a cast iron insert such as the Carron Prince inside a solid oak Kedleston surround. For a fireplace with no chimney, the Adam Southwold suite with its Colorado electric fire.

Installation and the rules

Who fits a fireplace depends on what burns in it.

• Solid fuel. An open fire or stove is building work under the Building Regulations. A HETAS registered installer can fit and self-certify it, or building control must be notified. A carbon monoxide alarm is required in the room for a new or replacement solid fuel appliance.
• Gas. A Gas Safe registered engineer must fit any gas fire.
• The chimney. Before using any fire in an old chimney, have it swept and checked. An open fire needs a flue of at least 200mm for an opening up to 500mm x 550mm, and permanent ventilation of at least half the throat area.
• Smoke control areas. An open fire is not an exempt appliance, so in a smoke control area you can only burn authorised smokeless fuel in it. To burn wood, you need an exempt stove.
• Electric suites. No trades needed; assemble, fix back to the wall and plug in.